Riley by Rose Middleton

Author:Rose Middleton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rose Middleton
Published: 2021-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When morning woke her, Hope tried not to feel guilty about Riley sleeping on the couch. She had to work hard to quell how much she missed his presence. She didn’t succeed.

Distance.

Space.

Yes, they needed both, almost as much as she needed to put things into perspective.

She had to find a way to beat the Mustangs and a way to stop the action-reaction pattern of the last few days. She longed for a little control, some semblance of authority over her life. It wasn’t just about the past couple of days either because every time she thought about it, Hope’s mind brought back the last ten years. Since Damien’s death, her every move had been controlled and coordinated by someone else.

Bob.

Witness protection.

Now Riley.

Granted, he didn’t dictate to her, but without him, what chance did she stand against bounty hunters? While she’d grown to like having someone to rely on, Jon’s deception was a timely reminder of how careful she needed to be with her trust.

Rising, she entered the adjoining bathroom and filled the sink with warm water. It didn’t escape her attention that her body didn’t ache, or even feel fatigued. By rights, she should be exhausted. But even the little wound on her leg had crusted over nicely. It wasn’t tender or sore and gave her a moment of pause. It had been less than twelve hours.

Something didn’t feel right but she shelved her worries when Riley appeared beside her. His bare arm touched hers, his bare thigh against hers emitting incredible warmth. In her underwear, she soaked up his heat. The man was like a walking radiator. As for his smile, well, at eight am with his eyes still sleepy, it shone brighter than the sun.

“Morning,” he whispered. “Sleep okay?”

Hope nodded, her eyes dropping to his bandages. Blood stained the white gauze. She shook her head and reached for him. Thankfully, he hadn’t torn any of the sutures, but he’d somehow managed to crack open the fresh scabs. Had to be those nightmares.

“You shouldn’t have stayed on the couch,” she admonished softly, washing away the blood with a damp cloth. “This will never heal, Riley.”

He chuffed, his warm breath lifting a few strands of her hair momentarily. He touched her, light fingertips on her temple that instantly drew her attention. “You’re capable of taking care of yourself, little lady. You don’t need me.”

Was he serious? “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He lifted one shoulder and gave that lopsided grin again. She watched incredulously as he brushed his teeth, like they weren’t in the middle of a conversation. Finally, he turned to her and said, “Yeah, I grow on people.”

She didn’t expect his fingers to thread into her hair, or slide to the base of her skull. Nor did she expect him to pull her close and press his lips to hers. “Riley.” His name slipped through her lips and while she didn’t intend for it to be a warning, that was how it sounded.

“Sorry,” he pulled back but his hand remained.

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